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Our first significant snow this year fell Christmas Day and through the night.

This was the view from my balcony the next morning. If you look closely, beyond my row of pine trees there is less snow. My house and property get only five hours of sunlight during the middle of December and part of January. Then the sun never rises above the trees on the mountain providing only diffused light. Most of the garden is resting, but when the snow melts there will still be mustard and turnip greens to harvest.

This next view was taken many years earlier. The pines are small and locust trees line the road. The locust were all used for firewood. Hemlock and pines were planted to take their place. It shows the reason to plan ahead when your plant. The pines were only inches tall so I planted them only three feet apart. I also should have trimmed them as they grew. Now several have been cut down, and I need to climb each one to keep it topped for my view.

It’s a landscaping lesson that will stay with me.

This snow below was heavier and more wide-spread. It is beautiful but can also be lethal to evergreens. Often limb are broken off.

Sometimes heavy snows come with blizzard conditions. At least the snow is blown off tree limbs, but that’s usually when we lose power.

My cat enjoys the snow. Mice are easier to track.

At the end of my driveway are many beautiful rhododendrons.

They often are damaged. And they were also planted too close together. However, they adapt well to being trimmed, even coming back after being cut to the ground.

There are many task to be finished before the garden is ready to plant in the spring.

Meanwhile, I’m ordering seeds and planning when to plant them indoors to transplant outside.